Here is a list of albums from vital artists who are supposed to gift us with new music this year; we know more about some than about others, but all of them are making us very optimistic for the future.

Though the California garage-rock prodigy is known for his insane levels of productivity, Ty Segall employed a more deliberate approach to Manipulator, his most considered and labor-intensive record yet. By Jayson Greene.

Paul Thompson reviews this year's fest, which featured a controversial set from Kanye West, Janelle Monáe in a straightjacket, Jack White's old-school rock, and a billion other things going on all at once. Photos by Pooneh Ghana.

Coachella 2014 went down over the weekend, featuring acts such as OutKast, Arcade Fire, the Knife, Beck, the Replacements, and many more. Photographer Chris Tuite was there to take shots of the performances as well as some portraits of the artists backstage.

Presenting our favorite songs of the year: from the chaos of Perfect Pussy to the smoothness of Rhye, from Los Angeles' Haim to New York's Vampire Weekend, from Disclosure's modern house to Daft Punk's disco symphonies, and more.